i want to thank the members of this committee, the congress, and the obama administration for supporting a help the inner city passenger rail system and for supporting improved service with words and money. we are grateful for the investments from the american recovery and investment act which have provided more than $1.4 billion for illinois high- speed rail. these current investments in illinois high-speed passenger rail systems are already supporting thousands of jobs with much more on the way. we cannot do it without federal help. we need continued federal funding for high-speed rail to finish the job restarted and keep our promises to travelers and taxpayers. we ask that congress appropriate additional funds for state making these investments, including illinois in the midwest. neither illinois or the midwest would be the transportation hub of the nation that it is today and the state's diverse economic base would not exist as we know it. illinois was made the center of national rail development and today, it hosts a 7,300 mile rail network that serves as a keystone in moving passen